I took this class shortened over the summer so that might affect things but here is my review:
- she is very sweet and seems like she really does want to be helpful, but ultimately she really don't make all that much sense
- her lectures are almost pointless. I resulted to reading the textbook and watching the videos in my syllabus which were super helpful.
- The class is not all that challenging if you can teach yourself the information. There is a decent amount of homework but it is all due by Sunday so you should have ample time to do it.
- The midterm and final got changed last minute to open note/open book with 24 hours to complete both which honestly might have made them harder. I didn't study a ton for either of them and because of that I ended up studying/watching videos while I took it, but it took a VERY long time. The midterm was 15 pages long and the final was 18. It is a good thing we had 24 hours because I spent at least 9 hours on each which sounds crazy but is true.
- some of the homework isn't on things we learned about so... good luck and go to office hours. It is graded on completion but at least my TA was pretty nitpicky, so just be cautious.
- the coding lab was actually pretty fun and relatively easy. We almost always finished everything in class and then would just review with a friend before they were due.
- all in all it is pretty easy to get an A if you put in the extra work to teach yourself... she gives enough extra credit to raise your grade by 3 percent which makes a big difference.
- Lastly, make study groups. I didn't, but really wish I had to bounce ideas off of and get help.

Save yourself the pain. Take this class with a different professor!

Dr. V is nice, and the class is an easy A is you're already good at math, however she's a horrible lecturer. It's required to attend live lectures due to poll questions, however they are not helpful. You're better off reading the textbook. Dr. V somehow makes simple math seem incredibly complicated, so you're honestly better off reading the slides on your own and ignoring her explanations (that's what I did).
If you haven't taken calculus DON'T take this class from Dr. V. If you're really really bad at math, DON'T take this class from Dr.V. She never covers all the material planned for the lecture, so the class ended up several lectures behind the syllabus. To actually understand the material, you have to do so completely on your own time or build off of knowledge from AP Calc.
The homework for this class is graded on completeness and correctness. It's mostly busy work.
Each of the quizzes were unlimited attempts, and some of them asked for your "confidence" in the answer so it was possible to get 300%. This is a great way to boost your grade.
A few of the labs are a bit time consuming, but the TAs and LAs are very helpful and will help you if you get stuck.
Both the Final and Midterm were split into three parts: A group study guide, an individual test, and a group test. the individual tests were a bit tricky, but the other portions made it really easy to get an A.

ok so i concur with a lot of the reviews posted in that 1) such a sweet lady and i think she genuinely wants to help and see her students succeed and 2) her lectures are definitely not worth listening to and that reading the textbook is sufficient in getting an A

but some other things i want to add:
- this class is seriously an easy A. she offers extra credit. the hw and multiple-attempt weekly quizzes cushion your grade like crazy.
- she almost rarely answers questions during lecture. you're probably better off asking a TA because she does this thing that kinda peeved me where a student would ask a question and instead of answering she would just say "just wait, the answer will be in the next couple slides" or she'll ask the student a question BACK like instead of just answering ?? idk that is kind of frustrating if you're confused and need clarification

This class was really easy to get a good grade because there are lots of assignments that help boost your test grades and extra credit is offered. However, the class can get really confusing especially with this professor. She never responds to emails and moves way too slow in lecture. She explains all the unnecessary information in depth and speeds through what's important. She also never finishes the lecture for the day and is always behind. Don't recommend the teacher but the class is not too bad especially if you have a good TA

I personally enjoyed this class very much, and would definitely recommend this professor for the LS30 series. I think Dr. V truly cares about her students and their knowledge of the course. The quizzes are challenging, but she definitely does take into consideration student feedback and will alter them. Most quizzes and exams are multiple attempts.

Lectures:
- Lectures are required for attendance (I'm pretty sure must attend 50% for full participation credit)
- Lectures include polls that don't count toward participation credit
- 3 hours of Lecture
- These lectures mirror the textbook
- Alan Garfinkel (the author of the textbook) additionally has videos which summarize the lectures as well - these videos are recommended but SUPER helpful.

Labs:
- 2 hour coding lab (using COCALC/ Python)
- The labs definitely require the full 2 hours to complete, but are overall straightforward. TAs and LAs are very helpful during coding sections, and will most definitely help you if you get stuck.
- There are pre-lab videos and quizzes which are super simple and only take like 30 mins per week. These quizzes allow for multiple attempts

Homework:
- The homework consisted of 25-40 problems per week from the textbook. The homework is mainly graded for completion, but if the answer is completely wrong I think 0.5 a point is taken off per question missed. The homework is turned in each week on Gradescope.

Quizzes:
- There are weekly quizzes. They are usually 10-15 questions and are based on the textbook/lectures
- The midterm and final each consist of three portions.
- The first is the creation of a study guide. For the study guide you essentially have to put examples or explanations for learning objectives.
- The second portion of the exams are individual exams. The second portion is definitely the most difficult and consists of both multiple choice and free response. This second part takes 2-3 hours.
- The third is a group exam, which usually has 3-4 longer questions. These group exams I did over FaceTime, and took 4-5 hours.
- For most weekly exams/midterms/finals/group exams, Dr. V gives a 24 hour window to complete them.

- The final exam date/time you see on MyUCLA may not be correct as a result of this window. Do not be freaked out if you see a final scheduled for 9pm.

Long story short: this class is pretty easy. The hardest part is paying attention in lectures. Professor Venugopal spends a lot of time going over the same concept and often does not finish the material planned for the day. The good news is that she cares about her students' understanding of the course and will often spend way too much time answering questions or giving 6 different examples for the same thing. The good news is that there are worse flaws your professor could have. The even better news is that if you do not really jive with her teaching style, everything is covered in the textbook which is surprisingly easy to understand for a big book full of math. So either way, if you choose to take 30A with Venugopal, the statistics say you will do well.

QUICK, and TO THE POINT REVIEW:
- Not the best lecturer, often rushes, but slides are detailed and lectures are posted
- Textbook is provided, but doesn't really do much besides providing homework problems
- Homework assignments are long but graded primarily for completion
- Practice Exams are very helpful,; no gimmicks
- Good sized workload, with weekly homework and weekly quizzes
- Coding isn't too bad especially with a helpful TA and LA, but grading can be tough
- CONCLUSION: Not a very hard class, but does demand your time

Honestly, I felt like Dr. V wasn't a bad lecturer at all. There are polls during lecture, so you will have to attend to receive participation points. The workload was very light in my opinion. Many people stressed over the bi-weekly study guides, but it was only difficult if you made it difficult for yourself. For all of my study guides, all I did was take screenshots of the slides and upload them on my document for each objective and I still received full points for it. The midterm and finals weren't too bad because she allows you to work with your group members, which makes it was easier. I would definitely take her again! It was a class I slacked off on the most.

This is not the class to take if you want to actually learn anything -- I taught myself the materials using the textbook and lecture slides because Venugopal is unengaging and hard to listen to. It's an easy A, and she's a decent professor if you can stand to listen to her, but it's not enjoyable at all and I'd recommend trying a different professor instead.